Ask the Patient Leaders: Romantic Relationships

Living with a condition like chronic hives can affect many things, including intimate and romantic relationships. It can sometimes be hard to manage the practical day-to-day aspects of being in close contact with another person, as well as the emotional aspects.

We know our community must experience these struggles at times in their own relationships. So, we asked our patient leaders: How has chronic hives impacted your romantic relationships?

They shared snippets of their personal experiences with intimacy and chronic hives. We hope their responses below are both validating and a comfort to anyone going through a similar experience:

How has chronic hives impacted your romantic relationships?

Response from Ambre

It’s definitely changed in a few ways. We have to be careful of his body wash and laundry detergent. He has to wash his clothes in Free & Clear laundry detergent to clean off any Gain Laundry detergent, as it’s a trigger for me. His soap is also a potential trigger, so when we see each other, he uses a soft soap, usually the one I use. This has helped so much in minimizing potential flares.

Response from CJ

My relationship with my husband was affected because we both were concerned with how my health was quickly declining when I had my initial outbreak. I had no energy to do anything and that affected the quality of our relationship. However, my husband was extremely supportive and made sure that I was well taken care of.

Response from Andressa

In the beginning I felt insecure, because even my private part was itching at a lot of moments. The fact that I got irritated very quickly affected my marriage as well. The moments where I felt lost, insecure, were not fun for my marriage. There were moments that the allergist told me that stress triggered the hives, and for me it was easier to blame my husband for it. And yes, after a while we’ve talked about it, but the beginning was a messy rollercoaster.

My husband often feels helpless when I have an attack, because he can’t make it stop. Another thing are the medications. When I just started with the allergist I used a lot of meds that made me sleepy. So I was tired and sleepy the whole day. I was literally a mummy. That is not romantic at all. It’s like you are not able to feel like a human. Afterwards I was able to make some choices so I could enjoy life more.

Share your own experience

If you are going through a similar experience, please consider commenting below or sharing your story here! Our community is always here to listen and support you, and telling your story may be good for your health.